Happy Atheist Forum

General => Music => Topic started by: xSilverPhinx on June 29, 2012, 05:44:34 PM

Title: Good Study Music
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 29, 2012, 05:44:34 PM
Okay guys, I was wondering what kinds of songs you like listening to while studying and which ones have the best hypnotic effects for you.

I once came across a study which said that songs which induce alpha waves in the brain (vigilant relaxed state) are the best for studying. Some specific meditation songs and Gregorian chants do this, but I find that I become relaxed too quickly - and fall asleep. Obviously it defeats the purpose.

I've turned to 'epic' songs (YouTube will turn up an search) but there's a lot of...um..crap there too since many people mix their own songs and upload it there. Can get really frustrating which too defeats the purpose.

Liquid dubstep is currently what I listen to, and so have haven't grown tired of it.

What about you guys? Any genre/type/sort or song in particular?
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on June 29, 2012, 05:54:32 PM
Matt & Kim! They're upbeat and good for jump-starting my brain. I always listen to music when I'm writing/studying.
http://youtu.be/WgBeu3FVi60 (http://youtu.be/WgBeu3FVi60)

I've also been listening to a lot of Flook lately, which has a lot of high-tempo bodhrán and flutes.
http://youtu.be/KUUNKG5VNtA (http://youtu.be/KUUNKG5VNtA)

These are my two favourite "concentratey" bands lately.  :)
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: OldGit on June 29, 2012, 07:03:00 PM
Orchestral or instrumental music which doesn't demand attention, that's what I used to like.  Some Bach, Haydn, Schubert and so on, but choose which pieces.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: McQ on June 29, 2012, 09:30:39 PM
I can only listen to Classical (Baroque, Romantic, etc.) if trying to study/read. Anything else makes me concentrate on the music itself.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Stevil on June 29, 2012, 09:41:01 PM
Any music as long as i am super familiar with it, new music gets my attention too much.

I generally listen to heavy metal, at work but find as I am engrossed in my work, I can't even remember which songs have been played.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Asmodean on June 30, 2012, 01:49:56 AM
Secret Garden - Dawn of a New Century (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO40txOgjnU)

I also like Gregorian - Moment of Peace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL89st1UqMo), Ennio Morricone - Chi Mai (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbdPUiih020), Edward Shearmur - Taxi Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHs7XxjiE-c) and so on. If you like the general direction of my work music, I can dig through my playlists and get you more names.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 30, 2012, 02:12:57 PM
I shamefully like Gregorian, especially them singing new pop songs. ;D
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Asmodean on June 30, 2012, 02:48:14 PM
They do use Gregorian chant, however, there is little religious undertone in their lyrics and, as far as I know, most of what they do is covers.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Crow on July 01, 2012, 12:40:03 PM
Not had to study for a long long time but when I work I usually like to listen to the world around me. Or usually more towards the LA Beat Scene (or some variation of it) going with music that's less intrusive and more relaxed. Or if I need to get into a zone and work fast I go with something that is progressive in its structure. Usually just slap a podcast, mix, or playlist on so I don't think about the music and focus on what's in front of me instead.
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: xSilverPhinx on July 03, 2012, 04:21:10 AM
Quote from: Asmodean on June 30, 2012, 02:48:14 PM
They do use Gregorian chant, however, there is little religious undertone in their lyrics and, as far as I know, most of what they do is covers.

I wasn't familiar with them, thanks for the link :)

Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: xSilverPhinx on July 11, 2012, 11:58:30 PM
Good one for you guys: Lux Aeterna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLpJtvzlEI)
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Beachdragon on July 12, 2012, 06:59:07 PM
Count me as the odd person out.  I never could study with music going on.  When I was in High School all the kids said they studied with music on.  I tried but I just coudln't focus.  So I usually study insilence.  It helps me concentrate.

Same goes for gaming.  Our game master likes to have music going on during game, but I would rather focus on the game and thinking about solutions.  We provide our own snarky commentary, we don't need help from background noise.  (Yes, Dungeons and Dragons in case you are wondering.)   ;D
Title: Re: Good Study Music
Post by: Synapse on July 22, 2012, 02:30:23 PM
This might sound somewhat strange, but I used to listen to distracting music (e.g. rock) when practicing maths. I had no idea why that worked for me, but on hindsight, I think the idea is that if you can train yourself to perform under divided attention, you should have no trouble doing it in slightly stressful situations (like an exam). Rock music also seems strangely motivating for me.

I listen to non-vocal music (classical music works best) when I have to read deep texts (philosophy-related stuff, mainly) where you have to hold a whole mess of ideas in you head so what you are reading makes sense. Otherwise I just play my mp3 collection (mostly rock+indie) in the background for normal study, which for me is bio-related stuff and empirical papers, which tends to be more bite-sized and require less engaged processing. It also stops me from sub-vocalizing everything with the result that I end up reading faster.

Probably, the best ambient study environment would depend the cognitive load imposed by the study material, your own attentional resources, and your mood.